By: Phil Akre
Quinnipiac’s women’s ice hockey team was unable to finish its two-game road trip with a win as it fell to Cornell University 3-2 on Saturday afternoon with a crushing OT loss.
Throughout the first period Cornell was faster on offense and generated more chances, evident by its 12 shots on goal compared to Quinnipiac’s three. Quinnipiac’s No.2 ranked defense couldn’t hold Cornell forever, though, as Kristin O’Neill scored on a backhanded goal with 1:44 left in regulation to tie the game.
“The whole first period was just not a good period for us,” head coach Cassandra Turner said. “I don’t think we did what we wanted to do when it came to pressuring them. You have to give a ton of credit to Cornell, they came ready to play today.”
The high number of shots on goal continued into the second, and it seemed as if the puck was floating around Quinnipiac goalie Sydney Rossman to this point. The Bobcats collected nine shots on goal throughout the second and were able to tie it up on a Kate Mackenzie goal with eight minutes to go.
It was Mackenzie’s third goal in her last five games as she continued her second half breakout. Coach Turner is not the least bit shocked at her sophomore’s newfound success.
“I am not surprised that Kate is doing as well as she’s doing,” Turner said. “For a year and a half her mindset has been just trying to get better every single day. Her successes, she has fought and worked for them.”
Headed into the third period the game was really up for grabs, as both teams had played pretty evenly, not making the most of their shot attempts. Quinnipiac had a chance to take the lead when Emma Greco had a wide open look on the right half of the net, but her shot went too high.
This missed chance came back to hurt the Bobcats, as just minutes later, Kristin O’Neill scored her second goal of the game which gave the Big Red the 2-1 lead.
With 7:55 left in the third, Taryn Baumgardt rifled a shot from 15 feet out that zipped right past Cornell goalie Marlene Boissonnault to tie the game up at 2-2.
Both teams were unable to find the net for the rest of the third as the game headed to overtime. It didn’t last long, as Hanna Bunton scored the game winner 10 seconds into OT to seal the victory for the Big Red.
“I don’t think it’s the toughest loss of the year. I think it’s going to be a really good lesson for us. I think that for our team and our program, we need bumps like this every once in a while. I do think this group needed this,” Turner said.
The Bobcats now sit at 9-4-2 in ECAC play and 16-6-4 overall. They will hit the ice next when they face Merrimack College on the road next Friday.
